How do you teach how to count in music?

mDecks · 02-14-2009, 09:43 PM

Rhtythm is a tough subject to teach. Some students get a good grasp of the idea the very class and other never seem to understand what's going on.

So how do you teach it?

Lydzor · 02-15-2009, 05:53 PM

I think probably one of the best ways is to relate rhythms to a foot tapping up and down. Tell them to tap the foot up and down, then play a note whenever it's down and then progress to harder rhythms. I don't really have experience with teaching this though and could see how some people may find it difficult to understand.

Malcolm · 02-15-2009, 09:06 PM

Will you be doing this in conjunction with standard notation note duration, if so tie it to time signatures and let the student fill specific measures (on paper), i.e. utilizing 1/4, half, whole notes plus rests.

If not in conjunction with standard notation as with tab and fake chord -- good luck.

daier1r · 03-27-2009, 07:19 AM

Spam, Removed by Mod.

jimmygster · 03-30-2009, 04:35 AM

A friend of mine who teaches swears by this "EarMaster Pro" software training thing. I don't have the website, but I'm sure you can Google it. I tried the trial for a bit, and I can see why he liked it. From basic to advanced.

Spino · 03-31-2009, 03:05 PM

Take the student out for a walk and use walking motion as a metronome
every step being 1 beat ! It works !

RobertH · 04-08-2009, 07:59 PM

I think that perceiving rhythm is a lot more complicated than just counting or tapping your foot. IMO, the student needs to really understand what the overall rhythm is that is repeated throughout the song. Sometimes this is not so intuitive for a beginner. I always felt that if we had videos of someone playing the student's song, they could better understand what is going on by repetitively studying the video.

Keith Alex · 05-05-2009, 10:05 PM

Also, it is not only tough to teach Rhythm, but it is also difficult to understand or study on. I never been good music student when I was in high school.

02-14-2009, 09:43 PM	#1
mDecks mdecks. LMCYM Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: USA Posts: 11	How do you teach how to count in music? Rhtythm is a tough subject to teach. Some students get a good grasp of the idea the very class and other never seem to understand what's going on. So how do you teach it?

03-27-2009, 07:19 AM	#4
daier1r Banned Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 4	Spam, Removed by Mod. Last edited by Crossroads; 03-27-2009 at 07:48 AM.

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02-15-2009, 05:53 PM	#2
Lydzor Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 5	I think probably one of the best ways is to relate rhythms to a foot tapping up and down. Tell them to tap the foot up and down, then play a note whenever it's down and then progress to harder rhythms. I don't really have experience with teaching this though and could see how some people may find it difficult to understand.

02-15-2009, 09:06 PM	#3
Malcolm Registered User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Deep East Texas Piney Woods Posts: 2,315	Will you be doing this in conjunction with standard notation note duration, if so tie it to time signatures and let the student fill specific measures (on paper), i.e. utilizing 1/4, half, whole notes plus rests. If not in conjunction with standard notation as with tab and fake chord -- good luck.

03-30-2009, 04:35 AM	#5
jimmygster Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 5	A friend of mine who teaches swears by this "EarMaster Pro" software training thing. I don't have the website, but I'm sure you can Google it. I tried the trial for a bit, and I can see why he liked it. From basic to advanced.

03-31-2009, 03:05 PM	#6
Spino Registered User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Ireland Posts: 255	Take the student out for a walk and use walking motion as a metronome every step being 1 beat ! It works !

04-08-2009, 07:59 PM	#7
RobertH Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Santa Rosa Posts: 5	I think that perceiving rhythm is a lot more complicated than just counting or tapping your foot. IMO, the student needs to really understand what the overall rhythm is that is repeated throughout the song. Sometimes this is not so intuitive for a beginner. I always felt that if we had videos of someone playing the student's song, they could better understand what is going on by repetitively studying the video.

05-05-2009, 10:05 PM	#8
Keith Alex Banned Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 14	Also, it is not only tough to teach Rhythm, but it is also difficult to understand or study on. I never been good music student when I was in high school.